For the first time since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the first batch of Hajj pilgrims arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
The state news agency reported that a group of 358 pilgrims from Indonesia arrived at Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in the holy city of Madinah.
Due to the pandemic, Saudi Arabia has limited the Hajj to domestic pilgrims for the past two years. Compared to around 2.5 million in 2019, a total of 60,000 pilgrims performed Hajj last year.
The pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba in the city of Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam.
